"There are incarnations that control the material qualities [guṇa-avatāras], incarnations of the Manus [manvantara-avatāras], incarnations in different millenniums [yuga-avatāras] and incarnations of empowered living entities [śaktyāveśa-avatāras].

The śaktyāveśa-avatāra is categorized into (1) forms of divine absorption (bhagavad-āveśa) like Kapiladeva or Ṛṣabhadeva and (2) divinely empowered forms (śaktyāveśa), of whom there are seven: (1) Śeṣa Nāga in the Vaikuṇṭha world, empowered for the personal service of the Supreme Lord (sva-sevana-śakti), (2) Anantadeva, empowered to bear all the planets within the universe (bhū-dhāraṇa-śakti), (3) Lord Brahmā, empowered with the energy to create the cosmic manifestation (sṛṣṭi-śakti), (4) Catuḥsana, or the Kumāras, specifically empowered to distribute transcendental knowledge (jñāna-śakti), (5) NāradaMuni, empowered to distribute devotional service (bhakti-śakti), (6) MahārājaPṛthu, specifically empowered to rule and maintain the living entities (pālana-śakti) and (7) Paraśurāma, specifically empowered to cut down rogues and demons (duṣṭa-damana-śakti).